Warning

Background

Counterfeit medicines have become an increasing issue worldwide, affecting both developing and developed countries. The presence of counterfeit medicines have a wide range of impacts including health, economic and social effects.[1-4] A major source of counterfeit medicines is sales via the Internet where it has been estimated that medicines purchased from Internet sites that conceal their actual physical address are counterfeit in over 50% of cases.[5]

Non-linear Optical Imaging

Non-linear optical imaging is an emerging technique for imaging drugs and dosage forms [1]. Non-linear optical imaging may be used for non-destructive, non-contact imaging of solid drugs and dosage forms. It offers chemical and structural specificity with no requirement for labels, sub-micron spatial resolution (inherent confocal nature), rapid video-rate image acquisition, and the ability to image samples in aqueous environments in situ.

These combined features make non-linear optical imaging unique compared to existing imaging approaches in the pharmaceutical setting and make the technique well suited to a wide range of solid-state formulation and drug delivery analyses. These include imaging chemical and solid-state form distributions in dosage forms, drug release and dosage form digestion, and drug and micro/nanoparticle distribution in tissues and within live cells. While non-linear optical imaging is comparatively well established in the biomedical field, pharmaceutical applications of non-linear optical imaging are much less widely explored.